


Don't Leave Crumbs

by brokenhighways



Series: The Adventures of Jane & Cho [2]
Category: The Mentalist
Genre: Bromance, Gen, Humor, Post-Canon, Snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:48:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26243665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brokenhighways/pseuds/brokenhighways
Summary: All Kimball Cho wants is for Jane to stop cross-contaminating his crime scenes.
Series: The Adventures of Jane & Cho [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1855567
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	Don't Leave Crumbs

All Kimball Cho wants is for Jane to stop cross-contaminating his crime scenes. 

Cho's listening to two of his detectives when Jane appears with a half-eaten sandwich. It looks like it's tuna and mayonnaise - the worst filling possible - and he can't understand why Jane would do this. 

He cannot understand what would compel anyone to bring their lunch to a crime scene.

"Hmm." Jane takes a large bite, apparently not noticing the trail of crumbs he's leaving. "If you find the boyfriend, you'll find your killer. My guess is he told her something. Some dark secret. She reacted poorly and he choked her to death."

Agent Wiley looks impressed and he opens his big mouth before Cho can tell Jane to go away. 

"We'll need to do a full forensic examination of course, but the ligature marks on her neck are consistent with strangulation."

Cho shoots Agent Wiley a dark look. This is the last time he brings him out to the field. 

Maybe it's time he puts Wiley on babysitting duty. 

"Jane, what are you doing here? I didn't call you."

Jane grins. "You don't seem too happy to see me, Cho."

"I'm not." Cho crosses his arms. "You're contaminating the crime scene and worst of all, you're eating. Have some respect for the dead."

"Why?" Jane asks. "My respect won't do much for her now."

Cho stares at him. "I can either arrest you or you can leave now. Your choice."

"Fine," Jane says, grinning wider than anyone should when in the presence of a dead body. "I'll see you back at the office."

Cho waits until Jane is out of earshot before he calls Lisbon. 

"What is it?" Lisbon asks, her tone already sour because there's usually one reason why Cho calls. 

"I have a case. I want you on it. Leave the kid with Jane. Please."

Lisbon laughs dryly. "You know, I dread the day that using my daughter to keep Jane off cases stops working. Promise me you'll keep her away from any crime scenes?"

"If it's all the same, I'd rather not," Cho says. "You knew who you were marrying. There are no promises I’m 100% sure I could keep.

Lisbon's only response is a weary sigh.

+

Jane shows up at the victim’s house with a stroller and Cho almost bursts a blood vessel right there and then. 

“Really? You brought the kid?” 

“Shhh, she’s sleeping,” Jane says. “And she likes solving crimes with Daddy.”

“She’s not even two years old. She doesn’t like anything.”

“She likes you, doesn’t she?”

Cho wrinkles his nose, remembering the horrors of vomit and baby goo. “She’s thrown up on me six times. I’d hate to see what she does to people she doesn’t like.”

“Trust me, you don’t.”

The thing is, Cho has some sympathy for Jane. The first time around, his wife was on hand to look after Charlotte while Jane acted like a clown on TV. This time, Lisbon’s unwillingness to sacrifice her career meaning Jane’s got to get his hands dirty. 

“Jane, why don’t you just go home and look after her. I think she’ll appreciate that more than watching the victim’s mother cry.”

The victim’s mother must have freaky senses because she appears suddenly, paying Jane and his daughter no mind. 

“Agent Cho. Are we done here?”

“Not yet, ma’am.” Cho looks back at Jane who’s got the look on his face. He looks back at the victim’s mother and notes she didn’t even ask about the baby. 

“Actually, Mrs. Wright. I’m going to have to ask you to come down to the precinct and answer some questions?”

“Did you love your daughter, Mrs. Wright?” 

Jane’s question is simple, but...there’s a long pause. Mrs. Wright freezes, hands gripping the door tightly. 

Eventually, she says, “Of course I did.”

Jane grins at her, that stupid shit-eating grin that riles people up. “Why did you hesitate? She was difficult, right? All of the money and hard work and...she wanted to be a singer. Not a doctor or a physicist.”

Mrs. Wright is shaking her head and her hands begin to tremble. “No. Molly was a lovely girl.”

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say about your dead daughter?” Jane’s leaning closer, going in for the kill. “Did your murder her?”

This is the part where Cho’s going to intervene, but he doesn’t bother. There will be legal action no matter what he does. He might as well ride the crazy train with Jane. A case that’s no longer on his desk is a win, no matter what happens down the line. 

“What? That’s preposterous? Why would I kill my daughter?”

“You didn’t kill her.”

Mrs. Wright blinks. “I just said I didn’t.”

“Actually, you didn’t. You asked why you would kill her. And I have an answer. Her boyfriend? He was a nice young man, wasn’t he? He came from a good family. The kind that wouldn’t take too kindly to finding out he was sleeping with his girlfriend’s mother.”

Cho raises an eyebrow, wondering how Jane even knows this. Last he heard, Wiley was struggling to get in touch with the boyfriend.”

“He killed her, didn’t he? She found out and he wanted to keep it a secret. Protect you.”

Mrs. Wright’s face morphs into an ugly sneer and Cho exhales quietly. “He’s too stupid to think that far ahead. I’m the one who did it. I did what needed to be done.”

“You killed her?”

“Yes! I killed her and....” Mrs. Wright trails off, eyes widening when she realizes what she’s done. 

Cho steps forward and retrieves his handcuffs. “You’re under arrest.”

+

“I can’t believe you confronted a murderer in front of your infant child.” 

Cho’s not the most sensitive guy, but surely that’s crossing some kind of line.

Jane takes a large sip of tea, ahhing afterward like it’s the first cup he’s ever had. “You’re just mad that I solved the case.”

“How did you figure out the mom was sleeping with the boyfriend.”

“That’s easy. Facebook.”

Cho frowns. “Facebook?”

“Yeah.” Jane grimaces. “Looking after a child is hard you know. I needed some me-time.”

“Your me-time is...Facebook.”

“There are some good games on there,” Jane says, adding, “not that people would know it. Nobody answers my Farmville requests.”

Cho blinks, standing up and brushing his pants. “Goodnight, Jane.”

“You’re welcome, Cho!”

“I didn’t thank you.”

“You didn’t need to. Your stoicism is a little muted tonight. I correctly deduced your gratitude.”

“Can you deduce what I’m thinking about now?”

“C’mon, Cho. Not in front of the baby.”

“Jane. it’s eleven. At night. Shouldn’t she be at home?”

Jane's eyes fly towards the clock and he jumps up, frantically looking for his phone. “If Lisbon asks, we were solving this thing ‘til late.”

“I’m not covering for you.”

“You said that the last five times, Cho.”

Cho waits for Jane to wheel the stroller out of the office before he smiles to himself….and texts Lisbon with:

_ Jane just left with the baby. He solved the case hours ago.  _

That will teach Jane never to bring a sandwich to one of his crime scene again. 


End file.
